New York leaders respond to Iranian attack

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEXSTAR) — New York Governor Kathy Hochul addressed the recent military action with Iran, assuring New Yorkers of their safety on Monday. The strikes, which targeted Iranian nuclear sites, sparked a debate among politicians regarding presidential authority and the potential for a wider conflict in the Middle East.

An apparent retaliatory strike on American military bases in the Middle East on Monday, meanwhile, drew a strong response from Republican New York Congressmember Mike Lawler. This followed a bipartisan group of congressional veterans—including Democratic New York Congressmember Pat Ryan—calling for the legislative branch to reassert authority over war powers.

Hochul said, "There are no credible threats against New York at this time," on Monday. Even so, she explained that state agencies like the Thruway Authority, the Department of Transportation, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, airports, water systems, utilities, and the New York Power Authority are on high alert.

According to the governor, a cyberattack poses a bigger threat in New York than a physical attack. She wanted New Yorkers to stay vigilant and report suspicious activity, recalling the "tried-and-true phrase, 'If you see something, say something.'" You can listen to her remarks below:

Lawler—Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Middle East and North Africa and possible challenger in the 2026 race for governor of New York—said, "All Americans stand with [our brave men and women serving our country overseas] as they face this outrageous attack that is yet another escalation by an Iranian regime hellbent on killing Americans." He warned that "any attack against the United States or our allies will bring a decisive response."

This development followed President Donald Trump, a native New Yorker, announcing Saturday that the U.S. had completed "very successful" attacks on three Iranian nuclear sites: Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan. Announced by Trump on social media on Saturday, the airstrikes ignited debate about the extent of presidential war powers. The retaliation, which Iranian state media reportedly called "Operation Fatah's Blessing," came after Iran's President Mahmoud Pezeshkian warned that the strikes on nuclear facilities would not go unanswered.

Responding to those initial strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, Ryan and 11 other veterans publicly published a letter to Trump on Monday morning, which you can read at the bottom of this story. They argued that the president needs Congressional approval for any military action beyond a typical 60-day timeframe.

The president is supposed to report to Congress within 48 hours of sending troops to armed conflict and must withdraw them within 60 days unless Congress declares war or authorizes force. According to the letter, "It is the clear and sacred constitutional duty for Congress, not the President, to declare war." The letter writers affirmed support for the War Powers Resolution of 1973, the federal law that's supposed to check the president's power to commit to armed conflict without the consent of Congress.

"Twenty years ago, in their rush to appear strong and tough, politicians—from both parties—failed to ask the hard questions before starting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. We refuse to make those mistakes again," tweeted Ryan, an Iraq War veteran and co-chair of the Democratic Veterans Caucus. "As our Founders intended, this will ensure we have a full and honest conversation with the American people about what American military action against Iran would mean."

The letter reflected on the veteran legislators' experiences in America's longest wars, called the Iranian regime evil, and reaffirmed support for Israel against Iran. It questioned the lack of accountability from politicians, arguing, "We cannot repeat our approach from 2001 and 2002. The answer cannot be, 'We’ll figure it out as we go.'"

Other New York lawmakers expressed similar concerns. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a Democrat and member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said she was "deeply concerned by President Trump’s decision to unilaterally launch these attacks without seeking congressional authorization, as required by the Constitution."

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said, "No president should be allowed to unilaterally march this nation into something as consequential as war with erratic threats and no strategy." Either way, Schumer has signaled strong support for an attack on Iran.

Democratic Congressional Leader Hakeem Jeffries criticized Trump, who he said "failed to seek congressional authorization for the use of military force and risks American entanglement in a potentially disastrous war."

Congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez posted that the bombing represented "a grave violation of the Constitution and Congressional War Powers" and suggested impeachment. And Congressmembers Nydia Velazquez, Yvette Clarke, Grace Meng, Paul Tonko, Adriano Espaillat, Jerry Nadler, Joe Morelle, Daniel Goldman, Laura Gillen, Tim Kennedy, Tom Suozzi, and Josh Riley—more Democrats—seemed to agree that the strike was both risky and in violation of the Constitution.

"You have to separate the actual bombing of Iran and ending their military and nuclear capacity versus the means and the process by which Trump did it," said another establishment Democratic figure with similar concerns over procedure. Former Governor Andrew Cuomo added, "I don't support the way he did it. I do believe he should have consulted Congress."

Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani, Cuomo's leftist foil in the race for New York City mayor, released a statement that struck a different chord, focusing on concerns over violence. "Trump ran for president promising to end wars, not start new ones," he said, adding that "the unconstitutional military action represents a new, dark chapter in his endless series of betrayals that now threaten to plunge the world deeper into chaos."

But Republican Congressmember Elise Stefanik, Chair of the House Republican Conference and another Republican gubernatorial hopeful, wrote that "President Trump and our brave American troops have made the world safer by striking the Islamic Republic of Iran’s nuclear weapons facilities that threatened the world." She added, "President Trump demonstrated the courage and leadership as Commander-in-Chief to make this decision to end the forever war of the Iranian regime on the precipice of nuclear holocaust threatening to end Western Civilization."

More New York Republicans besides Stefanik and Lawler lined up to laud Trump's military action. "President Trump acted with strength and clarity to eliminate a grave threat to our nation, our allies, and the world," Congressmember Nick Langworthy said, for example. Congressmembers Claudia Tenney, Andrew Garbarino, Nick LaLota, and Anthony D'Esposito agreed, praising the president's strength and resolve in holding Iran accountable.

At the state level, Senate Republican Leader Rob Ortt called the president's actions decisive and necessary. Indeed, "Peace through strength isn’t just a slogan," said Assemblymember Robert Smullen. "It’s a strategy built on deterrence and the credible will to act."

Nationally, Independent Vermont Senator and New York native Bernie Sanders released a statement on Sunday, too. "The American people are being lied to again," he said, looking back toward Vietnam and Iraq. "We cannot allow history to repeat itself." He echoed the letter from Ryan, calling out the disinformation about weapons of mass destruction that cost the lives of some 5,000 Americans and trillions of dollars.

Read the letter below from Ryan, signed also by Congressmembers Gilbert Ray Cisneros Jr., Eugene Simon Vindman, Chris Deluzio, Bobby Scott, Jimmy Panetta, Derek Tran, Herbert Conaway Jr., Chrissy Houlahan, Maggie Goodlander, Salud Carbajal, and Ted Lieu: